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What Cambridge exam should I take?

Hello:

I need help with the following issue.

I am planning to take a Cambridge general English exam next year. I am mainly a self taught advanced speaker of the language. My idea is to save as much money as possible because of my very limited budget, so preparation courses are not a viable option. Besides, I have never taken special English classes, so why should I begin paying now?

Perhaps I could afford a book if you guys were so kind to recommend one to me. But the main question is: How to find out what test I should prepare for?

Re: What Cambridge exam should I take?

If you want to take an advanced exam, then CAE or IELTS are probably good choices. IELTS is designed for university entrance and is officially only valid for three years, so CAE may be better if you want a long-term qualification for work. With all exams, I would recommend getting a book of past papers - Cambridge publish these with answers, and do get the official versions as they're the closest to what you will take - so that you can get to know the exam and what is expected in each part. It isn't enough to know English well; you also have to know the exam well. Natie speakers would have to stop and think about some of the sections.